Okhotsk East Airfield

The primary reason for closure was obsolescence and replacement. The new Okhotsk Airport (UHOO), located just to the west, was built with a longer, paved runway (concrete/asphalt) to accommodate larger and more modern turboprop and jet aircraft like the Antonov An-24 and Yakovlev Yak-40, which were becoming the standard for regional Soviet aviation. The old East Airfield, likely with an unpaved or gravel runway, could not support these newer, heavier aircraft and was therefore decommissioned as all operations were transferred to the new facility.

The site is completely abandoned and derelict. Satellite imagery clearly shows the faint outline of the former runway, which is now heavily overgrown with grass, shrubs, and small trees. It is completely unusable for any aviation purposes. There are no visible remaining intact structures or facilities on the site, and the land appears to be unused and is slowly being reclaimed by nature.

Okhotsk East Airfield was the original and primary airport for the historic town of Okhotsk for several decades, likely from the post-WWII era until its closure. As a vital lifeline, it connected the extremely remote coastal settlement with the rest of the Soviet Union. Operations primarily consisted of essential passenger transport, mail delivery, cargo shipments, and medical aviation (sanaviatsiya). The airfield would have serviced rugged, STOL-capable piston-engine aircraft common in the Soviet Far East, such as the Lisunov Li-2 (Soviet DC-3), the ubiquitous Antonov An-2 biplane, and possibly the Ilyushin Il-14.

There are zero known plans or prospects for reopening Okhotsk East Airfield. The town's aviation needs are fully and more effectively met by the active Okhotsk Airport (UHOO). Any available funding for aviation infrastructure in the region is directed towards maintaining and upgrading the existing, operational airport. Rebuilding the old, derelict airfield would be economically unfeasible and strategically unnecessary.